Method and apparatus for accurate placement of electrocardiogram electrodes

Abstract

A method for guiding electrocardiogram (ECG) electrode placement on a person includes acquiring an image of the person, identifying an externally discernable anatomical landmark on the image, determining target locations for first through nth electrodes as a function of the location of the landmark, and highlighting the target locations on the person. A system for guiding placement of ECG electrodes comprises an imaging device, an illumination source, a processor, and machine readable instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor, identify at least one marker in an image acquired by the imaging device, determine, as a function of the location of the at least one marker, target locations on the person at which first through nth ECG electrodes should be placed, and cause the illumination source to illuminate the first through nth target locations.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for guiding placement of electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes on a person comprising:
 an imaging device; 
 an illumination source; 
 a processor; and 
 machine readable instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 identify at least one marker in an image acquired by the imaging device; 
 determine, as a function of a location of the at least one marker and without reference to an additional image, target locations on the person at which first through nth ECG electrodes should be placed; and 
 cause the illumination source to illuminate the first through nth locations of the target locations with visible light. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one marker is one or both of 1) an externally discernable landmark and 2) an internal feature of the person. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1  including:
 a support platform upon which the person may be supported; and 
 a support adapted to maintain the imaging device in a fixed position relative to the support platform. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1  wherein
 the image acquired by the imaging device comprises a first image, and 
 the additional image comprises an image illustrating an external anatomical landmark of the patient, the machine readable instructions further causing the processor to
 acquire a second image illustrating an internal anatomical structure of the person; 
 identify at least one discernable internal feature illustrated in the second image; and 
 determine the target location as a function of the location of the at least one identified landmark and the location of the at least one internal anatomical structure. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1  wherein the instructions cause the processor to cause the illumination source to simultaneously illuminate the first through nth locations. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1  including an actuator coupled to the illumination source and adapted to respond to a command generated as a consequence of execution of the machine readable instructions by the processor, thereby causing the illumination source to illuminate the target locations with visible light. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1  including a feedback arrangement for determining if an actual electrode E i  (I=1, 2, . . . n) associated with each target location T i =(i=1, 2, . . . n) is satisfactorily positioned on the person. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7  wherein the system is configured to issue a status indication of whether a given electrode is satisfactorily positioned on the person. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to:
 determine a temporal sequence for illuminating the first through nth locations; and 
 cause the illumination source to illuminate the first through nth locations according to the temporal sequence and after the first through nth locations have been determined. 
 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first through nth locations are determined, respectively, as functions of a location of at least one additional marker, and 
 the location of the at least one additional marker is determined based on the image and without reference to the additional image.